Welcome to a SPECIAL GUEST blog post written by the pastor’s wife – Amber!

13 Reasons Why is the new Netflix original series that has rapidly grown in popularity. When it first popped up, I didn’t really have an interest in it. Then a friend posted an article about the show and it mentioned how the series was based on a book. As I read the plot summary, I quickly realized I had at one time actually read this book! Yes, I’m one of those people that enjoys reading the book and then watching the movie/show.

If you’ve heard about the show then you probably have a good idea of what it is about – here’s a quick synopsis: The show follows teenager Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) who discovers a box filled with cassette tapes left on his porch. The tapes are recordings of his former classmate Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) who committed suicide a few weeks earlier. As the episodes and tapes unravel, Hannah unravels her thirteen reasons why she made the final decision to end her life. The storyline of this show intertwines the two main character’s stories: Hannah’s last weeks and Clay’s first weeks after her passing.

*Just a quick reminder: there are NO SPOILERS! This, along with any other “The Gospel According To…” reviews are always spoiler-free to help you both understand the show/movie as well as illuminate the Gospel’s presence throughout. So feel free to read without the worry of having the show/movie ruined for you if you have not seen it quite yet. Remember too, these are my own feelings and you might not always agree so feel free to disagree and share your own thoughts about it!

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#1 – 13 Reasons Why does a great job at appealing to a wide audience of viewers. There is so much variety that viewers are bound to find a character to connect with while watching this show. I’m sure many of you are thinking you can’t connect with characters that are high schoolers. However, whether you were an athlete, artist, on student council, or a scholastic the emotional connection is still there. We can connect to them through their pain, heartache and desperation. Let’s be honest, there are still cliques in the workplace too – right?  

#2 – As you can imagine with a topic like suicide, this show tackles some very tough issues. This is why I personally believe that 13 Reasons Why if for OLDER AUDIENCES! Throughout this series, topics such as drug and alcohol usage, rape, death, and obviously suicide are covered and in graphic detail. You may be thinking, “Why would this be a ‘like’ if these are such bad things?” This falls under by ‘likes’ because along with these subjects, the show also talks about the effects of them. For instance, drinking in high school isn’t cool and fun – it has consequences. This then becomes a conversation starter for these tough topics that are hard to talk about.

#3 – The overall storyline does a great job of showcasing Hannah’s parents’ point of view. It presents their struggles; particularly their emotions following the horrifying suicide of their child. The writers of this story could have gone on without this plot line, but to me it’s a necessary arch in order to understand the whole picture.

#4 – I enjoy Clay Jensen’s character in this series. He experiences great transformation throughout the whole series. We see his highs. We see his lows. And everything in between. We watch his journey to rediscover himself after the loss of his friend. As the tapes unveil secrets, Clay struggles with how to handle the information. Eventually Clay finds out that there is hope for the future and moving past the things he cannot fix.

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#1 – My biggest ‘dislike’ of 13 Reasons Why is that there are a lot of storylines left open after the season ends. I don’t want to ruin the ending for you, but sadly there is a lot left to be desired after the last episode. To me, the writers wanted to stick to only thirteen episodes to fit with the title. What they should have done is a fourteenth episode to wrap up all the loose ends to bring the season to a concluding end.

#2 – For this one I am going to have to bring in another character I have not talked about yet – our main character’s (Clay and Hannah) friend Tony (Christian Navarro). I’m not going to give away too much detail because I don’t want to ruin his involvement, but Tony is portrayed through the series as Clay’s voice of reason. He encourages Clay and helps him through the whole process of grief and recovering following Hannah’s death. I feel like he is a great character, but the writers never fully explain his connection to Hannah. The audience is told there is more and he tells Clay more of those connecting details, but it is an off camera conversation away from us viewers. Tony would have added so much to this series had they used his character in the right way.

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In this case it was very hard to find evidence of the gospel. I sat on this one for days and to be honest, I couldn’t think of ANY! Now maybe one of you may be able to find something – I hope that you do – and that’s great! Instead, I found that this show makes me realize even more so of what we need in our lives.

Here’s what Christian Author Kristen Hatton wrote in her blog posted just the other day entitled “Underneath 13 Reasons Why”:

“Every character in this show needs some gospel self-talk. They needed to be reminded that in every way they failed, Christ never failed for them. They need to hear that Christ became sin and bore their shame so they could be free from it. And nothing they did or didn’t do was outside of God’s forgiveness.

Had this been the tape running through their minds instead of Hannah’s, the self-preservation, self-atonement and self-justification we see displayed in them throughout the show could’ve been trumped by grace. By God’s grace they might have been free to admit their failures and sin, and call it for what it was. By his grace they might have been even willing to accept the consequences. And by his grace these things would not define them had they known their identity secure in Christ.

Did some of them do and say some horrible things that hurt Hannah deeply? Yes.

But Jesus took on all of our hurt, all of our pain, all of our suffering and all of our sin, so he could identify with us in the midst of ours and ensure the end of the story never be without hope. Hope of things to come promised way back in the garden and secured at the cross. So instead of “Welcome to your tape,” we can hear, “Welcome, my child, you are deeply loved. Always. No matter what.””

In the end, We need a sense of community which we can find in church.
We need the hope we find in Jesus.  
We need to show the love of Christ to others.

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Overall Grade: B+
Again – 13 Reasons Why if for OLDER AUDIENCES (17+)

For more reviews of 13 Reasons Why:
– CPYU (Child Parent Youth Understanding) “13 Reasons Why Looking-for-True-North”
– Common Sense Media

Have you watched 13 Reasons Why?
What are your thoughts about this show as it deals with some incredibly heavy and moving themes that are touching disturbing amounts of students in schools today?

What have you recently seen where you saw the Gospel? Feel free to share your thoughts on this show as well as other likes/dislikes/Gospel moments you saw in the film (remember don’t spoil it for others who haven’t seen it yet).

Don’t forget to stay in touch here on our website as well as at our church! Feel free to comment AND SHARE on what you agree with, what challenges you here, or push back a little on what I’ve said. Don’t want to miss out on new posts? Be sure to check back for more Monthly Snapshots (always on the 1st of the month), “The Gospel According to…” reviews, and lots of other great things here on our church blog!